The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-04-10
ARACE AT FORT FILLGATE
AN INDIAN BsING THE WINNER
AND TAXING THE DOODLE.
"Kesp Fast" hut Not Fast Enough
10 Btat Coy Ote Jacks
Pony.

San Francisco Call. A we'll known
prospector, who has just returned to
this city from trip to the border
line of New Mexico, was out at Bay
District track yesterday watching the
trotters at work and listening to
the complaint of those who from un-
sue ,essful pool operations were be-
moaning the trickery and ruses of the
turf, when he remarked that the
skilled American sport was but a
cold blooded portion of the turf COM
pared with the poor, unenlightened
Indian"
"Why," said the frontiersman,
when | was at Fort Fillgate two
months ago there was sutler there
who had an Indian racing pony that
was supposed to be invincible. The
sutler had beaten everything for
miles around with him, and was not
slow to cry up his pony as the great
est thing that ever looked through a
bride.
1.-THE Comanche Indians who wan
der around those parts are sporting
men born, and when a little band uL-
der that astute old marauder, Coyote
ia k, came and camped around the
fort, the sutler was louder than ever
in casing up his steed.
Coyote Jack happened to be hang
ing around the fort doctors dispen-
sary one afternoon trying to come in
for share of the government supply
of frewater, when he ran across the
owner of 'Skinout, that being the
euphonious name by which the suit
ler's steed was known.
You got good pony? asked the
Indian sport; heap fastY
"Yes, replied the sutler; can
clean out any burned redskin cayouse
for everything you've got in your
camp, squaws and all.
"Humpl medita led Cayote Jack,
and then suddenly looking up-'You
like racer
ION these short preliminaries a
match was arranged, the stake to be
twenty ponies selected from the In
dian drove, including the pony that
was beaten, against liberal supplies
of arms and whisky. Coyote Jack
arranged that the match was to come
off in months time, and as the tribe
was making a move in the mean
while and would only be back just in
time for the race, he was to be al
lowed to have a stable at the fort
and leave a pony there to have the
same training facilities on the fort
race track as the suffers steed en-
loved. TO this the sutler and his
hackers readily agreed, not being
unmindful of the fact that month S
training in their camp, and under
their eye all the time, might be pro
ductive OF certain advantages. So
the Indians produced their pony, a
very shapely aud likely looking little
animal, under charge Of an Indian
trainer and three stalwart Indian
grooms, who together were installed
In the stables near the fort, while
the tribe moved off to return again
at the end of the month.
1.-THE Indian moved not day OF
night out OF sight of his charge, Civ.
ing the pony gentle exercise every
day and sleeping in the stable al
night. The suffers patty had cal
culated that the Indian champion
would have been given some exercise
bursts at top speed, when they coulC
have set the watch on him and got I
line. But in this they were disap
pointed, as the Indian trainer oul!
gave his charge slow canters. Thi
provoked the curiosity of the sutleI
contingent SO much that at last the!
decided that they must fiud GU
something about the Indian pony b!
fair means or foul. Accordingly I
trap was set for the trainer by ledv
ing bottle Of over proof rum in tn,
stable, temptation which the lndiaI
withstood for several days, until one
evening, when d watcher observed
him with the bottle to his lips, ant
soon after it was announced with {
laugh Of triumph among the con
spirators that the noble redman wal
laid out dead drund. They catered
the stall and saddled up tn,
pony, then took him out to tn,
course, where the suffers an
imal was waiting. The Indian pom!
was given the best of the weights anC
ridden to a standstill, the sutler'
animal beating him by several lengths
hard held. The conspirators chucklet
when they took the beaten cayOus,
hack to the stable and found the poo
Indian so drunk that they were abb,
to wash and curTycomb his charg,
without waking the trainer up. The.
walked out of the stable and though
of the accession Of wealth to the for
when they had cleared out CoyOt,
Jack band of every stick, horse anC
blanket, and just as the stable doc
closed the drunken Indian opened
his eyes and gave low chuckle.
The end of the month came anC
the tribe returned three or four day
before the race. The betting marke
opened fast and furious. 1t had neve
been specifically settled what partic
ular pony the Indians were to mattel
against the suffers feet steed. 1t wa
taken for granted, OF course, that tn,
Indian flyer was to be the animal tina
had been 80 carefully groOmed
trained and cared for at the fort fol-
weeks. The surprise Of the sutlel
and his contingent can therefore bt
imagined when the race being called
the Indians left their supposed flyer
quietly tied to a post and trOtted out
an entirely different animal, who NJ
sooner got the word to go" than hi
| flew to the front and finally finished
about a hundred yards in front Of tn,
suffers nag. The sutler and his gang
however, were spared the huMilia
ton OF seeing the finish of the race
for before the horses got to the dis
lance post the military crowd saw how
the game was going and re ired, leav
ing the copper colored sports TO car
r. of the Doodle. That ended hors
racing at Fort Filligate."